Girls may be moved to Woodland Hills detention center, which has been cited for high sex abuse

Oct. 28, 2012

Sen. Thelma Harper

Written by

THE TENNESSEAN

State Sen. Thelma Harper is speaking out against a proposed state budget cut that would close a Nashville girls juvenile detention facility and put the youths in a nearby center that's been cited in a recent federal study as having one of the highest rates of sexual abuse in the country.

As part of the budget proposal presented by Gov. Phil Bredesen and under consideration in the General Assembly, the Department of Children's Services would shutter the New Visions Youth Development Center, the only juvenile facility for girls in the state.

The proposal would save the state $2 million annually, but it would also move the 20 to 36 girls housed there to the nearby boys-only Woodland Hills Youth Development Center. Intense scrutiny has surrounded Woodland Hills since January, when a report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Justice found that the facility had one of the highest rates of sexual victimization in the country.

"I am distraught because these girls were just starting to get on their feet and get their self-confidence, and to move them back in with the boys only provides them another distraction," Harper said.

New Visions, opened five years ago, houses girls ages 13-19 from across the state. Harper said many of the girls housed at New Visions have experienced sexual abuse, and she worried that moving them to a center facing serious questions about its security would be the wrong decision. "They tell you they don't cut direct services, but this is a direct service," Harper said.

Bredesen spokeswoman Lydia Lenker referred questions about the budget cut to DCS. Department spokesman Rob Johnson said DCS was "happy to continue working with the legislature as they debate details of the governor's proposed budget."

"In these difficult economic times, DCS, like the rest of state government, must live within its means," Johnson said.

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Abuse inquiries faulted

The federal report on sexual victimization interviewed more than 9,000 juveniles in state-run facilities nationwide. According to the report, 26 percent of the boys at Woodland Hills reported sexual abuse, most of which was alleged to have been perpetrated by staff, as opposed to fellow youths. DCS said it has received only five claims of sexual abuse over the past two years, all categorized as unsubstantiated.

A recent investigation by The Tennessean found a questionable sexual abuse investigation process by DCS. The department said there had been "sweeping" changes in management since 2007 when a kitchen staffer was convicted of statutory rape. Six months ago, security cameras were installed throughout the facility, which houses about 120 boys.